Variable speed film printer



March 16, Q B- GUNBY VARIABLE SPEED FILM PRINTER Filed April l2, 1951 70 aan/Moz El? Wf/w/M TTRVEY Patented Mar. 16, 1954 VARIAH; SPEED FILM PEWTER Olin B. Gunby, Los dngeles', Calif., assigner to Radio` Corporation of America, a corporation oil Delaware Application April 12, 1951, Serial No, 220,578

(Cl. 8e4-24J4V I Claim.

invention relates to film printers, and partiqiilally to the opticaltypes of printers for transferring images of either pictures er sound tracks trom one 'nlm to another. Thisfpiinter is of the. type shown in CQrl-,lins Ui S. PatentV No. A194254? 0f Mellen 2.6 1940.-

The printers of the type shown in the above mentioned patentV use ay light source for illumimating the negativeA nlm, the emergent light beprojected to the positive filmv for making et the Seeed tract er Picture. Prints: of piu4 s and sound @39kt arey also made by the @este methodpvherebr the negative end pesitive have their einvisionsv iricoritact and iight is barrette@ eli the rieretire?` AS ihe'neeetve film :oli ispy usually made up. of diierent picture sequences which are. 'daylightscenes of diiierent eve se densities Qi night Scenes requiring a verteilt Print density',I theexposure or the print musty be varied. This has been d orieV in 'the past by varying the lightI intensity of changing the voltagel on the light source. Sound track sequences also varied in average level, and in nlm sound track printers, the average sound level may be and is shifted by changing the printing light intensity so that all the sequences on the print have substantially the same. average level. In instances, the voltage to the lamp is varie-ii between 8u and 1.15v volts,

In the: present invention, a printer of the time :e

Shawn in the above mentioned collins patent iS: used. but one. wherein the speed of the nime is varied to obtain the desired exposure of the positive raw stock. Since exposure is the product of time and intensity, the present invention utilizes a constant intensity, but varies the time of exposure. y

There are several advantages in varying the speed rather than the voltage on the printing lamp. One of these is that, since the lamp is i burned at a constant intensity at all times, the color value of the light provided remains constant, thus providing true tone value, particularly when printing color pictures. When the lamp intensity is varied, the color spectrum of the light therefrom changes. A

It is also possible for an operator to print substantially twenty-five percent or more film in a given period of time, since most of the material to be printed can now be exposed properly at voltages considerably below 110 or 115 volts, and this reserve in illumination can be exchanged for greater footage of exposedlm per unit period. 4 Also, a printer in accordance with the invention will have greater flexibility than present printerst in that the variable Speed transmission can, be i'nade to. run a printer `at' a s l'ovverfthanf conventional speed. This permits the use of less sensitive nlm stocks than could be usedsuccessffully with present printers without operating the exposure lamp at some value above its rating. LampsV operating above rating deteriorate rapidly` and are subject to burngouts with possible damage to lm being printed.

The invention may utilize. either a manual control or an automatic control from a pre-'set re"-VA sistance board, such as disclosed in Kreuer UQ S. Patent No. 2,320,524 of June 1, 194:3.

' The principal object of the invention, there-l fore,A is toV facilitate thev printing ofimages on photographic film, either picture 'or sound' traclz.V

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved photographic ilmV printer of the optical projection type. A

A further object of the. invention is to provide an improved printer wherein the print stock may be vari-ably exposed by varying the time of 'exposure.

A still further object o f the invention is to provide an optical printer wherein the print stock may be variablyv exposed by varying the speed of Y'advancement of the films witha light source of constant intensity.,`

Although the novel features which are. believed to be characteristic Of; this invention will he pointed out 'with eertieuieiiiv ie'ihe appended, claims. the manner of its ereinizf-itien.` es@ the mode of its operation will be better understood by referring to the following description, read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, forming a part hereof, in which the single gure is a front elevational view of a printer embodying the invention.

Referring now to the drawing, there is provided a mounting frame plate 5 on top of which is a negative supply reel B and a positive print stock supply reel 1. Mounted at the lower end of the panel 5 is a take-up reel I0 for the negative and a take-up reel I I for the print stock. The negative I3 is advanced by a sprocket I4 underpad rollers I5, then around a guide roller I6, around a pressure roller I1, over a speed stabilizing drum I8 having a flywheel I9 on the shaft thereof, around a guide roller 20, and over an advancing sprocket 2I having pad rollers 22.

The positive lm 25 is advanced over a similar path, which includes a sprocket 26, pad rollers 21, a guide roller 28. a pressure roller 29, a nlm speedvstabilizing drum 30 having a flywheel 3| l 3 on the shaft thereof, and sprocket 32 with its pad rollers 33.

An optical unit 34 is provided for projecting light emerging from the negative nlm I3 to the print stock 25, the light being supplied from an exciter lamp in the housing 35, as described in detail in the above mentioned Collins patent'.

Power for the film advancing mechanisms is obtained from a motor 31 having a tapered pulley 38 mounted on its shaft. The pulley 38 is belted by a belt 39 to a tapered pulley 40, the taper of the pulley 40 being in the opposite direction to the taper of the pulley 38. The belt 39 passes between two rollers 42 mounted on a belt shifting member 43 pivoted at 44, the rollers 42 moving in the arcuate slot 45 in the panel 5.

The other end of the member 43 is provided with an arcuate slot 46, through which passes a winged nut bolt 41 so that movement of the lower end of the member will shift the belt 39 axially along the pulleys, the pulley 40 being driven at a less speed when the belt is in the left-hand position, and at a greater speed when the belt is in the right-hand position. The winged nut bolt permits the belt shifting member 43 to be locked .in position, if desired.

.The pulley 40 is mounted on a shaft 50 mounted in bearings in bosses 5| and 52 and on which are drive gears 53 and 54, respectively. These gears are in mesh with sprocket driving gears 55 and 56 for driving the sprockets 2l and 32. Through other gearing, not shown, the upper sprockets I4 and 25 are also driven.

Thus, if the print stock requires more exposure, the film advancing mechanisms are slowed down by moving the belt 39 to the left to the degree necessary, while if the film exposure is to be decreased, the belt 39 is moved to the right to increase the speed of film passage through the printer. It is to be understood that the intensity of the lamp in the housing 35 remains constant at all times as well as the speed of the motor 31.

The lower end of the member 43 is attached by a rod 51 to the end of an armature 58 of a solenoid 59. Co-axially with the rod 51 and armature 58 and connected to the lower end of member 43, is a spring 8| anchored at'52. Conductors 63 lead to a step-by-step resistance controller, Such as shown in the above mentioned Kreuzer patent. Thus, if the negative film i3 has been notched to operate micro-switches along the edge of the film at the proper times, a resistance control board will vary the current to the solenoid 59 to shift the belt 39 along the pulleys 38 and 40. Thus. the speed of advancement of the negative and positive films through the printer will be controlled in accordance with the exposure desired for the positive, which exposure has been predetermined. During this operation, the winged nut 41 is loosened.

Although a solenoid operated device and a tapered speed control unit isdisclosed, it is to be understood that otherforms of such devices may be used, depending upon the flneness oi' light exposure variations required.

I claim: y

An optical film printer comprising sprocket means for advancing a negative film, a second sprocket means for advancing positive raw stock, an exposure lamp of constant intensity, optical means for projecting light of constant intensity on said negative lm, light emerging from said negative film being impressed on said positive print stock, optical means for projecting said light emerging from said negative film on'said positive print stock, a constant speed motor, an interconnecting drive means between sai-:i motor and bothof said sprocket means for driving both of said sprocket means simultaneously, said in-4 terconnecting means including a speed changing means for said sprocket, said speed changing.

means including a pulley driven by Isaid motor and having a taper in a certain direction, a second tapered pulley in said common interconnectingv drive means and having a taper in the opposite direction, a belt interconnecting said tapered pulleys, a belt shifting member for shifting the belt along said pulleys axially, and locking means:

for said belt shifter for maintaining a constant speed when said negative film has a constant. density, a solenoid being connected to said/belt' shifting member for shifting said .belt axially along said pulleys in accordance with the amount of energization of said solenoid.

l oLIN n. GUNBY. rReferences cited in the fue of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Foster' May20, 1941 

